If you were among the Virginia fans sweating over whether or not the Cavaliers were going to lose their offensive coordinator, rest easy.

Virginia came to the Orange Bowl with something to prove.

Virginia senior quarterback Bryce Perkins put up one last heroic effort in his final game as a Cavalier, but Florida’s Lamical Perine helped build a first-half lead that would not be relinquished, and the Gators prevailed, 36-28, in the 2019 Capital One Orange Bowl Monday night in Miami.

The eyes of Wahoo Nation will be on the Sunshine State tonight as Virginia plays in its first Orange Bowl against ninth-ranked Florida at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

There is a certain amount of sadness amongst Mendenhall and his coaching staff and team that senior linebacker Jordan Mack will not be playing in Monday night’s Orange Bowl game against Florida.

Sunday morning’s Orange Bowl press conference with the two head coaches couldn’t have ended more appropriately when Virginia’s Bronco Mendenhall was asked what a win in this game would mean for his program.

Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is one of the best in the business, and so it comes to no surprise that the Gators’ defensive guru has spent much of his Orange Bowl practice time focused on slowing down Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins.

Apparently, starting linebacker Jordan Mack, one of Virginia’s defensive captains, will miss the Orange Bowl.

One of the keys to winning the Orange Bowl will likely be which quarterback can best handle the pressure stemming from an aggressive pass rush.

Bronco Mendenhall said more doors are opening for Virginia recruiters now that the Cavaliers have won the ACC Coastal Division and will be playing in the Orange Bowl at the end of the month.

Andrew Gentry could have signed with just about any football powerhouse in the country, but his final choice was ever-improving Virginia.

Congratulations to our contest winner, Mike McCombs!

With his eyes on the future, Bronco Mendenhall welcomed his smallest recruiting class on National Signing Day, noting that most of his program’s needs have been met.

Two-Time Super Bowl Champion Chris Long and The Chris Long Foundation are donating 1,220 of the popular book Little Joe Chickapig to Charlottesville Boys & Girls Clubs, to all First-Grade students at Charlottesville city schools, and to Reach Out & Read Charlottesville, in a partnership with Chickapig author Brian Calhoun.

The Virginia football program signed 12 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent (NLI) for the 2020-21 academic school year, head coach Bronco Mendenhall announced.

The previous visit didn’t turn out so well when the Cavaliers dropped a 17-9 decision to Miami in the same Hard Rock Stadium. Alonso is hoping this trip turns out better, although the No. 6-ranked Gators are a two-touchdown favorite by the oddsmakers.

What a fabulous career Bryce Perkins has had for Virginia. The junior-college transfer has done more in two years than most Cavalier quarterbacks have done in four.

Virginia’s football-recruiting momentum continued through the weekend when the Cavaliers gained a commitment from one of the state’s top 16 players, defensive back Elijah Gaines from Episcopal School in Alexandria, on Sunday.